I confess that I hadn't previously heard of the power pop single 'The Kids Just Wanna Have Fun' by Fast Cars from 1979. The band never made it big although are quite literally big in Japan and the single is apparently among Record Collector's top 20 most collectable singles of the Punk /New Wave era.
The connection to this EP is that Steven Murray was the lead singer of Fast Cars. You could even say he still is as they reformed for old time's sake and their website indicates that they are still very much alive and rocking.
Watching a video of the single on You Tube, the kindest thing I can say about the band is they are enthusiastic. There's certainly no mystery why they failed to rise above the Manchester pub circuit!
Three decades on, Murray remains undeterred by non-stardom and offers us a self released four track EP credited as 'Steven Murray & Kingbird'. As to who 'Kingbird' is or are is something of a mystery particularly as it sounds like a solo record to my ears.
There's something of a seasoned Strummer-esque quality to Murray's voice these days and the tunes reflect his new found interest in Alt.Country as well as a fondness for classic rock. The tunes 'So James Dean' and 'American Girls' illustrate that his own semi ironic description of his 'new' sound as "Rolling Stones meets Steve Harley" is actually not so wide of the mark.
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The past lives on by virtue of the fact that Murray includes the track 'You're So Funny', a makeover of the B side of the Fast Cars single.
The title track is the most striking however, a sad story in song, presumably autobiographical, beginning with his father telling him he had a younger brother ("my earliest memory" ) and ending in his sibling's early death.
It's a genuine sounding record although it's hard to think of it reaching a wide audience. I'm pretty sure that wasn't the point anyway - Murray says "I'm just trying to make MY favourite record of all time" and he shows that while the flesh may be weaker his rock'n'roll spirit is still willing.
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